ALDS Rangers vs. Rays; Another Series in the "Gentleman's" Game.

Disclaimer: I am a devout Texas Rangers fan, and have been my entire life. If you're looking for the insight* that ESPN and TBS have been offering, then you won't get it here. This is talking about the Rangers side of the series, the part you probably haven't heard anywhere except your local DFW channels.

* That insight being everything you could ever want to know about the Ray's and their history, from their random road trip themes to their game 7 win over Boston a few years ago, and nothing on my hometown team.

From the start, the Rangers looked like the team to win this series right away. Bombing the Ray's Ace in game one, and putting up 2 runs on their, in my mind, #4 pitcher (Garza and Niemann are head and shoulders above Shields to me.) They hit the timely home run, ran the bases well, and seemed confident, but not cocky.

The exact second that I realized this series was going to shift is when Shields was pulled in game 2. After a decent outing, Maddon made his way out to the mound. Shields then went on to pout in the corner of the dugout for a minute, before returning to the dugout fence. This is when Mike Young's almost infamous "check swing" took place, and the camera men captured Shields (with Carlos Pena) mouthing to the first base umpire with a few choice words thrown in, all the while throwing their arms around in the same manner my twin 5 year old cousins do when they don't get more game tokens at Chuck E. Cheese from my grandma when they run out.

This is when I realized what this series means to me, and probably most of the other hardcore Ranger fans.

Batman always defeats the Joker. Superman always saves the city. These are the principles written into our society's brain.

So when you compare the gentleman of Texas to the (insert adjective of choice here) Ray's, you'd think it should be the same way. The Rangers stay composed, keep the yelling volume from the dugout a minimum, and never once have mocked their opponents all season in a public fashion.

You can find your evidence on Tampa for yourself, but I'd refer to Game 2 if I was trying to find anything.

So, as I sit in my dorm lounge in Oklahoma watching Game 4, 4 hours away from my beloved ballpark, my beloved Rangers, and my beloved season ticket seats in the All You Can Eat section (I had to get the "Freshman 15 somehow?), I wonder when this principle will kick in, and hope it's very soon.

After all, this is the "Gentleman's Game." Hopefully acting in that way pays off, and if it doesn't, then Rangers, start your pouting and arm flailing sometime soon please.